Chapter 6 Identity

Katherine had long known that Paige wouldn't care about her thoughts or feelings, but hearing it directly from her still sent chills down her spine. "Understood, mother." "Good. Our family values this matter greatly. If you fail, those people in the yard will be the least of your worries. After all, in this world, it's quite normal for two people to die every day, isn't it?" The threat in Paige's words was crystal clear to Katherine. She was using the person Katherine cared about most to compel her to go through with the marriage. But she had no choice. Blaming her resemblance to Paige's daughter was futile. Luckily, her daughter rarely went out, so when Katherine appeared, it didn't attract much attention. But by taking on someone else's daughter's identity, she had cut off her own escape route. Now she had to obey orders, or face dire consequences for disobedience. "Go pick out a suitable outfit. Tonight, you must not disgrace us." After uttering these words, Paige reverted to her usual dignified demeanor and leisurely made her way upstairs to prepare for the evening's banquet, even though it was still hours away. Katherine stood rooted to the spot until Paige's footsteps faded away completely. Then, she finally stirred her numb feet. Sitting on the single sofa, Katherine looked at the coffee on the table with a bitter smile. Perhaps she shouldn't have taken this path from the beginning. But it was too late for regrets now. Taking a deep breath, Katherine headed upstairs after composing herself. They had to dress elegantly tonight, without embarrassing themselves. The entire afternoon, Katherine kept changing her dresses, but none satisfied Paige. After trying on over a dozen dresses, she finally settled on one. The dress Paige had chosen for Katherine was a deep purple evening gown with a high collar and long sleeves, tightly hugging Katherine's figure. This made her look even more mysterious and desirable. Katherine was pleased with the dress because it concealed the blemishes on her body. If she wore any other dress, she would have to go to great lengths to hide the marks. "Make sure to wear this dress tonight and don't embarrass me or Leonard," Paige instructed firmly. Katherine, with delicate makeup on her face and expensive jewelry adorning her neck and wrists, carefully walked in ten-centimeter high heels beside Paige. She had to listen attentively and respond whenever Paige spoke. When they arrived at the venue, no one paid much attention to them. Most people there looked down upon their Sherlitt family. However, Paige ignored the murmurs, or perhaps she didn't even hear them. Leonard, accompanied by Elaine as usual, noticed Katherine and Paige, but as a member of the Tulls family, he didn't lower himself to approach Katherine. His purpose was to teach Katherine a lesson, to make her understand her place and to recognize her identity. Leonard withdrew his gaze indifferently and continued chatting with Elaine and others. As for Paige, she had no choice but to take Katherine to find Leonard. From a social perspective, when Leonard saw Paige, he should have addressed her as "Aunt." However, due to Katherine's presence, Leonard didn't show much respect to Paige, merely giving her superficial courtesy. "I've already given her a good lesson for what happened yesterday. It was her fault. Hope you won't bother with her anymore. By the way, will your grandfather be here tonight? I wanted to greet him," Paige said amiably to Leonard. But Leonard's attitude showed a lack of respect for Paige. Holding a glass of wine, he didn't even bother looking at her directly. "My grandfather is resting at home these days, and he's not someone you can meet just because you want to. As for me and her," Leonard gestured towards Katherine, "we're just engaged. Whether he comes or not is uncertain. Do you still want to establish a good relationship with my grandfather like this?" His words were quite embarrassing. It showed that even the elders in the family weren't willing to attend such a significant event. Katherine felt the embarrassment not just for herself but for the entire Sherlitt family. However, when she turned to Paige, she saw no sign of embarrassment on her face. "I was just speaking casually, no other meaning intended. You young people must have a lot to talk about. I won't disturb you here anymore." After saying this calmly, Paige left, leaving Katherine behind. Before leaving, she gave Katherine a look, warning her not to provoke anyone. Katherine, feeling submissive, didn't retort. After Paige left, she could feel two pairs of eyes on her, unmistakably Leonard's and Elaine's. "You women from your family are quite extraordinary. I've heard about it before, how your daughter is treated as a commodity to be bought and sold. Today, seeing it for myself, it seems to be true. Your mother is even more interesting. Even after I said that, she didn't seem to care. Honestly, not many people can reach that level of indifference." Leonard's disdain and disgust were clearly expressed, without him having to say it explicitly. Katherine could feel it, even in this banquet setting, the obvious gap in their status. Katherine remained silent because she knew that if she provoked Leonard in such a setting, the entire Sherlitt family would be looked down upon by the upper class. "You were quite talkative earlier. Why so quiet now? By the way, your mother probably doesn't know about the incident with the black suit, does she? What do you think would happen if I told her?" Leonard said once again, and this time, when Katherine heard these words, she lifted her head in surprise. She hadn't expected Leonard to say something like that.